Internal-combustion engine



April 14, 1953 M. c. METZG ER 2,635,126

INTERNAL- COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l MARTIN C. METZGER IN V EN TOR.

April 14, 1953 M. c. METZGER 2,635,126

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 19, 1950 4 sheets-Sheet 2 MARTIN C.METZGER INVENTOR.

April 4, 1953 M. c. METZGER I 2,635,126

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 MARTIN c. METZGER IN VEN TOR.

April 1953 M. c. METZGER 2,635,126

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG-.8

MARTINQMETZGER INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 14, 1953 Martin G. Metzger, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Worthington Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application-July 19, 1950, Serial Nil-176720 This nvention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly 'to'two and "four cycle gas injection engines.

I An object of the present invention is to provide means whereby explosions of unburned gas fuel in the exhaust piping of a gas fuel internal combustion engine will be prevented.

, More specifically the present invention relates to a mechanism whereby the ignition switch and the 'fuel gas control valve are interlocked so tha itwill Ibe impossible tomanually turn on the :fuel gas lbeiore the'ign'ition system is turned on, and also it will ?be impossible to turnoff the ignition switch until after the .gas fuel to the engine is shut oil;

In the drawingsf Figure l'is a diagrammatic view partly in section and partly 'inlperspective of an internal combustion' engine equipped with the interlocking fuel and ignition circuit control mechanism.

Figure 2: is a side elevation .of the control mechanism. 1

Figure .3 is a front elevation of the control mechanism having parts of the outer housing plate broken away. r

Figure 4 is a -section through the interlocking control mechanism taken on the "line 4--.4 of Figure 3. r i

Figure 5 is a detail elevation of the switch structure.

Figure '6 is a 6 'B of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a detail elevation of the interlocking cam.

tion-an'd partly in perspective of a fourecycle gas fuel ignition fired internal combustion engine having the fuel vand ignition control means applied thereto.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, an internal combustion engine ,gas fuel ignition fired two-cycle'type is shown in fragment in Figure 1 bf the drawings andrincludes the usual cylinder 1 "in which the piston reciprocates, and which the gas fuel delivered to the :cylinder-il through the inlet pipe 3 is fired by a spark plug 4 which, as is usual in such constructions, is connected through a spark coil 5, timer 6, to a switch '1 which controls energizing of the spark plug and consequently the ignition of the fuel in the cylinder l. o

Fuel gas is delivered to the intake pipe 3 from any suitable supply source (not shown) through an inlet pipe 8 under control of a fuel gas control valve 9 operated by the governor In of the detail section taken mi the line Figure B is a -.d-iagrammatic view partly in sec 3 Claims. 01. 123-43165?) engine. bet-ween the fuel gas control valve 9 and intake pipe 3, but of-course, this may be eliminated-if desired.

A manuallyoperated fuel delivery control valve 12 is'mounted in the inlet pipe 8 outwardly of the fuel gas control valve 9 and'it is operated manually upon the starting or stopping of theengine to "control flow of fuel gas '-to the fuel gas control valve 9 and consequently to the engine.

The valve I2 is of any approved constructionof rotary valve and it has a valve stem t3 connected thereto 'by means of which the valve is opened or closed.

tached as *shown in Figure 2 of the drawings at any suitable place to a part of the engine structure. The rotary'stub shaft I [has a handle I! mounted thereon for rotating the stub shaft and consequently rotating the valve "stem 43 for V A housing 4% is provided which encloses the shaft -18 and a quadrant 19. The quadrant 19 has *a plurality"- of indentations 20' cut in its inner surface and opening or closing the valve [2.

a spring-actuated latch Zllis-carriedbythe handle l1 "for engagement in any one of the notches "241' to hold the handle I I in adjusted positions. The

rod22 connected-to the latch 20 and by'pressing the hutton 2-3 on the end of therod 22 thelatch '21! is moved out of the notches 2t -to per-- g If it is so ee-Q sired, an indicator 24 maybe attached to the mitmovement of the handle H.

handle 1? which cooperates with an indicating dial "'25 attached to the outer surface of the housing 18.

The ignitionswitchstructure '1 "includes a longi-- tudinally slidable plunger 25 which extendsthrough the outer front side of the housing "I8 and has a button ,2! formed on its outer end to facilitate m nu l r cip oca g mov ment of t e. plunger. The inner end of the plunger 2.6 is connected in any suitable manner to the switch element orpelements 28 so that when the plun er 26 "is pushed inwardly into the position shown in Figures 2 and 4' of the drawings a' circuit A "fuel "gas header 1 I is shown connected Hie valve stem 1' 3 is connected to a stub shaft H (see Figure 4 of the drawings) which is rotatably supported by a suit--' ableloea-ring structure 15. The bearing structure It is in turn carried by a support'p'late 1 6 at-{ 3 cam 33 has a. concave portion 34 in its perimeter, the curvature of the edge of which corresponds to the curvature of the plunger 26, so as to permit the plunger to be moved longitudinally when the recess 34 registers with the plunger.

When the switch is in open position and the plunger 26 outwardly, the recess 34 engages over the plunger and prevents rotation of the shaft 14 and valve stem I3 so that when the ignition switch I is open and energizing of the spark plug 4 is cut off it will be impossible to open the valve l2 to permit fuel gas to flow to the engine. However, when the plunger 26 is moved inwardly to close a circuit through the switch I the interlocking cam 33 will then register with the notch 30 and permit movement of the handle I! androtation of the valve stem 13 for opening the valve [2. Thus it will be seen that fuel cannot be delivered to the engine, upon the starting of the engine until after the ignition switch has been closed and also that the ignition switch cannot be opened and the circuit broken through the spark plug 4 so long as the valve [2 is open because at such times the land 38 of interlocking cam 33 will be engaged in the notch 30 and will prevent longitudinal movement of the plunger. However, when the valve [2 is closed by movement of the handle 11 the recess 34 in the cam land will be positioned so as to permit the plunger 26 to be moved outwardly to break the circuit through the switch 1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that it will be impossible to turn on the manually operated fuel gas valve to allow fuel gas to flow to the engine until after the ignition switch is closed and that it will be impossible to open'the ignition switch so long as the valve I2 is open and thus the delivery of live gas fuel to the cylinder and its expulsion into the exhaust line of the engine prior to ignition thereof will be prevented.

Figure 8 of the drawings embodies the same safety mechanisms operable in the same manner for preventing delivery of fuel gas to a fourcycle engine until after the ignition switch is closed and for preventing opening of the ignition switch so long as gas fuel isbeing delivered to the to the intake passage 44. The fuel gas delivered to the passage 43 under operation of the valve 4| is controlled by the fuel gas inlet valve 45 which is identical to the valve [2. The valve 45 is opened and closed by a manually operated hand lever 46 through the medium of the valve stem 41 and a cam 48 is mounted upon the cam stem 4'! for rotation therewith and it engages the switch closing manually operated plunger 49 which is the same as the plunger 26 for permitting or preventing movement of this plunger in the same manner as described in connection with Figure 1 for controlling the energizingof the spark plug 50 through the spark coil and under control of the timer 52.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown, but that they may be widely modified within the invention defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine including a cylinder, a spark plug for igniting fuel in the cylinder, a spark coil and a timer for controlling sparking of said spark plu and a fuel supply pipe for supplying fuel to the cylinder, of a switch for controlling flow of electric' current to said spark coil whereby when said switch is closed said timer may make and break a circuit through said spark coil and said spark plug, a manually movable plunger for opening or closing said switch, a manually operable valve in said fuel supply pipe, a valve stem for operating said valve, a handle connected to said valve stem, a cam connected to said valve stem and rotatable with rotation of the valve stem, said plunger having a notch out therein for receiving a portion of the land of said cam to permit opening of the valve when the control switch is closed, said cam having a concave peripheral portion therein engaging said plunger to prevent closing of the valve when said ignition switch is open.

2. The combination with an internal combustion engine including a cylinder, means for delivering fuel to said cylinder including a fuel supply pipe, and means for igniting fuel in said cylinder, of a valve in said fuel supply pipe, a manually rotatable element for operating said valve, a longitudinally movable plunger for controlling operation of said ignition means, a cam on said rotatable element and engaging said plunger to prevent rotation of the rotatable element when the plunger is in position to prevent operation of said ignition means.

3. The combination with an internal combustion engine including a cylinder, means for delivering fuel to said cylinder including a fuel supply pipe, and means for igniting fuel in said cylinder, of a valve in said fuel supply pipe, a manually rotatable element for operating said valve, a longitudinally movable'plunger for controlling operation of said ignition means, a cam on said rotatable element and engaging said plunger to prevent rotation of the rotatable element when the plunger is in position to prevent operation of said ignition means, said plunger provided with a reduced area portion engage able with said cam to permit rotation of the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,102,830 Walker July 7, 1914- 1,147,634 Lotz et al July 20, 1915 1,614,798

Maehler Jan. 18, 1927 

